Haiti: Business Oligarchy Takes Full Control of De Facto Government

With Laurent Saint-Cyr’s recent inauguration as president of the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) of Haiti, alongside Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, Haiti’s de facto government will be controlled by representatives of the economic oligarchies for six months. This situation is a cause of concern for the people and may have long-term consequences for the country.

The CPT was formed in a context of political crisis in April 2024, following the forced resignation of then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Its announced objectives are to restore security and organize new elections before February 2026, while in reality, it was created to serve US imperialist interests in the country and to suppress any expression of popular rebellion. Each of the nine members of the CPT was appointed by a coalition of parties or a sector of civil society and each is scheduled to assume the rotating presidency for five months.

Laurent Saint-Cyr was CEO of an insurance company and president of the Haitian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIH). He never held any political office before joining the CPT. He is currently a student at the private US university Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs, which raises questions about the possibility of combining these two activities without conflicts of interest. The prime minister in office since November 2024 has a similar resume. Alix Didier Fils-Aimé is a businessman in the communications sector, a graduate of Boston University (United States), and has also chaired the CCIH. His only experience in the political sphere was a failed bid for the Senate in 2016.

#AGENDA | Un Conseil des ministres se déroule, ce mercredi 20 août 2025 à la Villa d’Accueil, sous la direction du Président du Conseil Présidentiel de Transition (CPT), S.E.M @Lsaintcyr . Les Conseillers-Présidents et les membres du Gouvernement discutent de plusieurs sujets… pic.twitter.com/gQMy3njy6b

— Présidence d’Haïti (@PresidenceHT) August 20, 2025

In the absence of a parliament or legislative power, the main body that is supposed to guide and supervise the government’s actions is the CPT itself. However, after a year and a half in office without having delivered any results to the population, it is weakened by internal divisions, with three of its members implicated in corruption scandals. In practice, the “private sector” has free rein in power.

Legitimate concerns
In an interview with the Haitian platform Ayibopost earlier this month, Fritz Alphonse Jean, the sole representative of progressive organizations on the CPT and Saint-Cyr’s predecessor as president, expressed his concerns about the situation. “When the private sector runs the government, it raises legitimate concerns,” he said, pointing out that several Haitian business-owners are “involved in arms distribution and money laundering” and “participate in the chaos” that the country is going through.

The Haitian economy is characterized by control of a high concentration of businesses in a handful of families. These oligarchies control more than 50% of some sectors, benefit from significant tax advantages, and control the financial sector and access to credit. They have always played a behind-the-scenes role in political life, and their image has been tarnished by frequent corruption scandals. Furthermore, the direct links between the Haitian elites and armed gangs was highlighted in a UN report published in October 2023.

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Despite sanctions imposed on several Haitian businessmen by the UN or the United States, the economic oligarchy maintains close ties with the US, where it spends millions on lobbying activities with the authorities. The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) revealed that Prime Minister Fils-Aimé himself signed a contract worth US $35,000 per month with a lobbyist close to US President Donald Trump.

“Despite the rhetoric of recent years from the international community, what is clear is that the longstanding relationship between Haiti’s private sector and US politicians and diplomats remains an important driver of politics in Haiti,” noted CEPR researcher Jake Johnson. “And despite three years of international sanctions and public criticism of Haiti’s elites, the country’s oligarchic class has perhaps never been so powerful, although, of course, many internal divisions remain.”

A US project for Haiti
A few days before Laurent Saint-Cyr was appointed president of the CPT, in early August, the Macaya Institute, made up of 18 prominent Haitian business leaders, commissioned US consultant Andrew Cheatham to draw up an action plan for the government, the contents of which have not been disclosed to the public. Other measures and news items caught the attention of grassroots organizations, such as the sudden replacement of the director general of the National Police on the eve of a meeting with representatives of the US embassy or the controversy over a secret agreement with mercenary Erik Prince, which was reportedly signed by Fils-Aimé without consulting the CPT.

On August 18, Fils-Aimé announced a budget of US $67.5 million for the holding of a constitutional referendum and new elections “in the coming months.”

The issue of changing the country’s constitution, however, is far from being supported by the majority, especially for the popular camp, which denounces the lack of public debate on the issue while the new text is being drafted by a committee without democratic legitimacy.

 

 

(Telesur)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/SC/SL